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New Writer Guidelines
I've compiled these guidelines for struggling writers. I've been on this wiki for over a year, and over these past few months there have been a plethora of shittypastas , more than any time I can remember. Here are some tips to help those of you who need it. (Admins, mods, or regulars can add or remove what they want from this post as they please) Rules For Posting Creepypastas Almost all of the help/advice given in each section after this is optional for you to follow, (Well, not optional if you want a good story...) but not this. These are the rules you need to follow when you go to post a creepypasta, because some of you are too lazy to read the Rules of the Road before you post. Failure to comply to any of these rules will result in at least ''a temporary ban. Here are the rules you must follow before you post: 'No Posting Creepypastas From Your Phone/Mobile Device-'' '''Not only is it tedious to write with as an author, but it also fucks with the formatting when it's posted. 'Walls of Text Are NOT Allowed-'' '''Not only are walls of text unreadable, but also against the rules of the wiki. Any pasta that has a wall of text will be marked with 48 Hours to Deletion no matter what the overall quality is, since it's breaking a rule of the wiki. 'Categories Are A MUST-'' '''When posting a creepypasta to the wiki, you must add a decent amount of categories that relate to your pasta. Many people take it upon themselves to add them for users that don't, but that shouldn't be up to them, you ''have ''to add them. 'Signatures-'' '''After writing your story, you must add a signature at the bottom or top of the page so people know who is posting it. It doesn't have to be linked unless you want it to be, but you must have your name there somewhere. 'Posting to the Listing-'' '''After you've posted your pasta, be sure to add it to the creepypasta listing which can be found under Wiki Content. The rules and tutorial on how to do it will be there. 'Plagiarism Policy-'' '''Plagiarism is unacceptable, and will be met with harsh punishment here just as anywhere else. If you really like a creepypasta and want to post it here, you ''MUST ''add the migrated category to the page. This is of dire importance because without it, it seems like blatant plagiarism, so unless you want a nice wiki ban, you should probably add it. 'Excessive Gore/Inappropriate Topics-'' '''Although we respect everyone's freedom of speech and we realize there is an NSFW category for a reason, pastas that include detailed descriptions of topics such as rape, pedophilia, or other more sensitive topics will be removed and the author will be at risk of a temporary ban. 'Work in Progresses-'' '''WiPs are not allowed, and if they are posted, they will have 48 Hours to be completed or they will be deleted. This includes, but is not limited to, making a story that has chapters that aren't finished, a pasta that just isn't finished, or a blog post that isn't finished and keeps getting things added onto it. List of Common Cliches Before you read this list of cliches, remember that every creepypasta is bound to have a few cliches here or there, and some of these cliches can be used effectively. Although it is recommended that you try to stray away from using the majority of these, if they genuinely help your story, you shouldn't worry too much about them. So, without further ado, here is the comprehensive list of the most common cliches in creepypasta history. '''Hyper Realistic Blood'- Never, and I repeat, NEVER is this description of blood acceptable. House in the Middle of Nowhere- Overdone setting, do something original. Ending a Title of a Pasta With .Exe- Adding this to your title says, "Hey, look at this pile of shit I made!" On occasion, you may have a creepypasta titled this way that is actually fairly good, but the majority of the time, it's an example of a writer's lack of creativity (or just utter laziness). First impressions are the single most important aspect of anything, and if a potential reader sees a generic title commonly associated with crappypastas, they will pass it over to find something that they deem to be more worth the nonrenewable resource that is time. Game Comes Out of TV and Kills Narrator- One of the worst ways to end a pasta, although great if you're one of those hardcore writers who doesn't believe in the concept of 'suspension of disbelief', which is, needless to say, vital for any story, especially ''a creepy one. '''Plushies'- Direct rip off of the atrocity that is, "Tails Doll", and while plushies and dolls can be downright creepy in their own right, it's a trope that is largely ineffective (and even damaging) to a story's scare factor. Nostalgia Rush- Narrator buys a game for nostalgia purposes. Even though this is very much a real-life and common justification for obtaining a game, this trope has been so overdone and overused, usually quite poorly, that it's considered generic. Bought off EBay or Yard Sale- Never works. Ever. Strange copy bought from Gamestop (Or any other game store)- 'Same reasons as previous point. '''Hacked game/obvious signs of hacking '- VERY overused, almost always quite poorly, and adds nothing to the fear factor that a creepypasta is supposed to generate. '''No Label to Game- Direct rip off of, "BEN Drowned", and not scary. All Caps- Common mistake that many writers make, caps do not make your story creepy! In fact, caps are an eyesore and tend to turn readers away instead of attracting them. Contrary to popular belief, using all caps does not scream READ ME to a reader, it is actually quite the opposite. 666- No. Never use this number. 13- No. Never use this number. Eyes Bleeding/Missing- Overdone form of gore. This cliche is okay if not overdone. Gore porn - '''Gore is not scary, however, it can be disturbing IF USED IN MODERATION. There is a fine line between using gore for the sake of giving a sense of disturbance in a reader (which adds to building up the scare factor, but is not a contributor) and using it to try and make the story scary. Gore by itself cannot make the story scary (especially in a written form...a visual form (such as a movie or a video game) can pull this off easier), it is usually very difficult to pull this off, and unless you are a veteran writer (or love taking chances) I advise not resorting to this...there are other ways to build up the fear factor (atmosphere). Think of horror games you've played, how many of them (that are legitimately scary) use more gore and blood to make it scary? (Answer is not very many!) '''Narrator Shrugs Off Everything- "Oh, why if it isn't Mario in a pool of blood, probably a glitch". Once more, humanity is naturally curious, but we are also, by instinct, alert for anything out of the ordinary. If things don't seem right, odds are, we won't continue exploring. So a narrator shrugging off incidences that they KNOW aren't right completely obliterates the atmosphere and the vital 'suspension of disbelief' (I'll link the term so those of you who don't know what it is can get an understanding). There are some occasions where this works, but it usually requires some creative form of justification on the writer's part. For those who aren't the most creative or experienced, this is not the trope to use. Also, as a bonus, if you see a gory scene in a game or television show/movie meant for children, do you really ''think that the reader is going to buy that it's 'just a glitch'? As a game developer speaking, we're lazy by nature, and if it's a game not meant to have something against the target audience, we're not gonna waste our time to put it in there, or if we ''do ''put something in there, we won't normally go out of our way to spend a lot of time on it (so goodbye hyper-realistic (the proper term is actually 'photo-realistic') gore in Super Mario 64). '''Vomiting- Narrator sees something grotesque and vomits'- Okay if used sparsely. Unless used visually (a la ''the 1973 film "''The Exorcist") this is not scary...more cringe-worthy than anything. BLOOD EVERYWHERE- Does not make your story creepier, just worse. As stated before, blood and gore by itself is not scary. Including Blood, Hell, or Death in Your Title- No. Just Don't. (Hell is allowed in some instances) Family Member/Friend Works at Gaming Company- I'm guilty of this one, and it ruins plausibility and the suspension of disbelief. .Avi (or any kind of "dotExtension") In Title- Almost as bad as .exe, but not quite. Even still, never use this trope in your pasta title. Red Cartridge- "Oh my god the cart is red, blood is red, 666 Illuminati confirmed!" '' '''Lights Go Out'- I don't care what campfire stories you've heard, this does not work, most of the time. Even though it can aide in the buildup of the atmosphere of the story, it does not, by itself, work. More often than not, it is worthless in a strictly text format, as the all-too-real fear of 'what lurks in the dark' does not normally work unless given to you visually. "''Go Easy On Me Guys It's My First Pasta"''- Nobody cares. If your pasta sucks, it sucks. We have had many users on here whose 'first pastas' were amazing and revered as some of the best and highest quality creepypastas on the site. So claiming that a pasta is your first and requesting that we go easy on you will not guarantee anything. Latin- No, you don't know how to read Latin. And no, Latin is not creepy. This can sometimes be used effectively, but it's very hard to do. Game kills Family Member/Friend- '"''And then Sanic popped out of the computer screen and stabbed John". ''Seriously? This never works in a story. EVER. It is physically impossible, and as said several times before, the most crucial part of a story is the suspension of disbelief. The moment this happens, that is gone, and once the suspension of disbelief is gone, nothing works. '''Reports- '''Whether it's a News Report, or a Police Report, Be careful when you use them. Having a news/police report at a point in your pasta can be a good tool to explain details or move the plot along, however they should be used sparingly if they are at all necessary. Most of us have never read a police report, much less written one, this leads to many "Police Reports" in pastas coming across amateurish or just strange sounding, there are typically no formats followed, very sporadic details, and a lot of unimportant info given in these "Police Reports." If you want to use this, research what kinds of things go into a police report, don't just type stuff and try to sound official. News reports are a little easier since most of us have seen them. However, there is a reason that hard journalism can require proper schooling. If you must include a news report, think about how it would sound before you commit it to paper. What language would a reporter use? What details, and in what order? What information would be withheld? Research the kind of report you want to include (TV, Newspaper, Blog, etc) and try to see if yours sounds/reads like a legitimate one. '''Old Guy, Free Game- '''Oh dear lord I hate this one. One of the most commonly used, and most frowned upon cliches, this cliche occurs when the narrator is given a free game by an ominous old guy. Just, for the love of god, never use this trope. '''The Warning Note- '''Another cliche taken right out of the book of ''Sonic.exe, ''this cliche shows the narrator receiving a note alongside the haunted game he just bought from an old guy at a yard sale for free, which tells him/her not to play the game. What normally follows is the narrator disregarding the note, and then a mediocre pasta ensues... '''ER MAH GERD DEMON VOICE- '''This is certainly one of the more commonly used pasta cliches. Let's get this straight, Demonic voices on game characters are not creepy! This form of making a game creepy is just tired and overdone, and never really leads to any form of creepiness. '''Game Reanimation- '''Okay. Stop with this one. This cliche is when the narrator destroys a game cartridge, only for it to appear back in their house later. You know what, maybe this could be creepy... if the year was 2011... '''Insisting That A Story Is Real For Added Creepiness- '''Unless the pasta is incredibly believable, actually happened to you, or what you wrote about is plausible in real life, this is horrible. Saying this upfront gets rid of all suspension of disbelief, and can ruin a story. No, nobody believes the story about Jeff the Killer popping out of your toilet and killing your family is true, just stop. '''Imposed Emotions- '''This one is relatively new. This is done when the author wants to convey creepiness to the reader, and so they do it through the character. Instead of making the creepiness be something that goes without saying, the author needs to make sure you acknowledge that an event was or was supposed to be scary. It's like using a laugh track in a sitcom. It doesn't add anything, and it usually gets very annoying. '''You're Next!- '''If at any point, and I mean ANY POINT, you have that line in your story (especially if that's your last line) just stop what you're doing, and throw your computer out the window... '''Main Character of Classic TV Series is Dead- '''If you're going to write a theory pasta, don't make a theory about this. We've heard this one about a billion times at this point, and it isn't eye opening or creepy. '''Voice Becomes Distorted/Changed In Tone- '''This one is exclusive to gaming pastas. Having a character speak in a slower or deeper tone does not make them creepy. Do you get scared when you hear Alvin and the Chipmunks? If the answer is no, then you see the reason why voice changes just aren't creepy. However, if your answer is yes, then you might want to seek psychiatric help... '''Suicide- '''Oh boy, a TV Show or Video Game character is committing suicide, haven't seen that one before... This cliche also works towards narrators who commit suicide after playing a game, or after seeing traumatizing events. '''Spinoffs- '''No, we don't want to hear your spinoff story called, "''The Touchdown Killer", nor do we want to see your spinoff story, "My Buddy, Mudman". These are just about always horrible. *cough* Jane the Killer *cough* (Does not include sequels of stories by the same author) 'Game Character Dismemberment- '"and then I found Pikachu, except he was missing his left testicle and right arm!" This just flat out doesn't work anymore, that is, unless you know of a unique way to use this. However, I still don't recommend the usage of this cliche. '''Dead Children- '''This got old after Squidward's Suicide. Finding dead children hidden in lost episodes or games is not creepy, nor is it even disturbing at this point. '''Forced Mindfuck- '''If the twist just isn't there, don't make one. That simple. '''Post-Read Curse- "and now tht you red this story, you will be hanted with the ghoste of Handcuffed Billy!" Never end your pasta with a threat or magical curse that will afflict the reader after reading your pasta. Sure, it can be used effectively occasionally, but word of advice, don't risk it... Cheap Game- This cliche is really just absurd. This is similar to the free game cliche, except this one has the narrator buying a normally expensive game for an astoundingly cheap price. Don't tread in the waters of this shit creek when making a creepypasta... All Caps- "And then I opened up the door and saw... CARROTS." Adding random capitalization does not, nor will it ever, make your creepypasta any creepier. If anything, it makes it more humorous than creepy... Pentagrams/Satanic Rituals- '''No, Satanic rituals and Pentagrams are not creepy anymore. Unless they completely fit in with the story at hand, and it isn't a gaming pasta, then don't use it. You know what, never mind, no matter what your story is like, don't add them in. Important Formatting Note! We prefer that when writing, you use the default style utilized by the wiki's Visual Editor. However, we also realize that a lot of writers would rather have control over their format, and the way their piece looks, and those familiar with Span code are welcome to use it in formatting their pages (Hooray for paragraph indents!). However, when choosing a color for your font, please do not use bright white, (hex color code #ffffff rgb code 255,255,255) for your main text. It is blindingly white and will deter a lot of users from reading your work. I suggest using a bright-ish grey to match the format of the rest of the Wiki. I recommend using Hex code #D8D8D8 or its equivalent in rgb code; 216,216,216. Thanks! Pointless Parts I am seeing this more often. People are adding more onto a story because they think longer is better, and while sometimes it is, sometimes it just makes a story shit. When you add to a story you must at least be on par with the story. If the story looked like it was written by Shakespeare and you add some 420 noscope like shit, that makes it worse. The second thing is never to add it if you did not try on the new part. When a pasta that looks it can be fixed and everyone works on it, and you add another pretty fucking terrible part, we all hurt inside. Mr. Ramsay would not be satisfied. '''What to Do Before You Post Be honest with yourself. Is your pasta good? If so, post it, if not, work on it, and if you're not sure compare it to another pasta. A good pasta to compare yourself to is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Blood Knight's Retreat for gaming pastas, and Excromation for non gaming. Both of those pastas are great, but not impossibly good. If you truly believe your pasta is good, then before you post it, proofread it. Proofreading is the best thing a writer can do as it gets rid of all of the small little errors that can bring a 9/10 pasta, to a 7/10. A good way to proofread is to read the pasta aloud to yourself, as when reading aloud your brain won't fill in the blanks/errors that it would when reading in your head. I can't tell you how many times I've seen great pastas ruined because they were obviously not proofread. Also, one thing most regulars can't stress enough about is the use of correct spelling and grammar. Sure, you may have a good story, but if it's riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes people might just assume your story is crap. If you aren't a very good speller, it might help to write out a rough draft on a program that has its own built in spell-check (Such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs.). Apache Openoffice has a good writing program, comparable to Microsoft Word. It utilizes spell checking, rudimentary grammar checking, and auto-capitalization. It is a better writing program than the one used in this Wiki's page editor. Openoffice is free to download. Now that you've done that, you must add categories, as it is a part of the rules. You can find the rules of the road under the 'Community' tab at the top of the page (or in this conveniently placed link). As it is also mentioned in the rules, you cannot make your own categories, so find some already existing ones for your pasta. Making your own categories may result in a ban. Finally, if you're proud enough of your work to post it, sign the page so that you can be recognized as the author of your story. Now that you're done with all of that, you're ready to post! Common Writing Mistakes All writers make mistakes, but these are the most prominent among them.. There, Their, and They're- '''Seriously guys, we learned this in first grade... '''Your and You're- '''Once again, first grade '''U, ur, and Other Slang- '''You aren't texting, and using slang like this makes it look like you put in no effort. '''Spaces- '''This is something I've been wondering about.Why don't you guys space after periods?Huh? '''Always "I" never "i" - '''In addition to staying away from text slang, be sure to always capitalize I when it is used as a pronoun. Failing to do so is grammatically incorrect, and makes your writing look lazy and unprofessional. '''"''Mutahar Please Read"- ''I don't know one good story that starts out like this. Oh wait, yes I do, and Mutahar did read it- on shitpastas... WALL OF TEXT- 'This is in the rules. Walls of Text are nearly impossible to read and are never good pastas '''English Fluency-' If you can't speak English fluently or correctly, don't post pastas. '''Writing In English- '''All pastas must be in English. Once again stated in the rules. '''Font/Formatting- '''The Font or Formatting of a pasta must be correct, or they will be removed. '''Apostrophes- Oh boy this is one of my biggest writing pet peeves! It absolutely drives me insane when I see apostrophes in words where they aren't needed. APOSTROPHES DON'T GO IN PLURAL WORDS. It is Cliches not Cliche's and Creepypastas not Creepypasta's. This, for whatever reason, is a common mistake for many of the upcoming writers on the wiki, even though it was something taught back in elementary school! So those are some of the common grammar mistakes, and my dear friend Urkelbot666 added onto these below: More on common mistakes 'from Urkel It belongs to = '''Its '(the dog lost '''-its- '''tail.) It is = It's ('-It's- '''here!) You are = '''You're '(-You're- an asshole) It belongs to you = 'Your '(that is '-Your- '''asshole) It is '-HERE-''' I can '''-HEAR- '''you farting They are = '''They're It belongs to them = Their '(that is '-their- '''cat) Everything else = '''There Sequential = Then (Squeeze my nipple, '-then- '''slap me) Comparative = '''Than' (My nipple is longer '-than- '''his) '''What Shouldn't I Write About?' ' '''Every writer goes through a writer's block, and it isn't something you should feel bad about. If you don't know what to write, don't write anything, as a bad pasta is worse than no pasta. Now, this page actually isn't about what to write, as that is something that an author has to do for themselves, but I assure you this page will help with what ''not to write about. So, here's a list of the worst pasta ideas to write about... Five Nights at Freddy's- 'Never write FNaF pastas. I have never in my life read one even decent FNaF pasta, so don't even attempt it. If you have a "brilliant" idea, it's most likely already been made or you'll butcher it. Sorry, just being honest. '''Literally Every Horror Game-' Horror games don't make good pastas, it's that simple. You can't make an already creepy thing creepy, it just doesn't work. Once again, I have not read one good horror game pasta, so it is just a bad idea to post them. 'A Pasta Revolving Around a Non-Creepy Theory- '''This one is a bit harder for the author to realize, so it isn't as bad as the first two, but still, don't post them. Theory pastas are seldom seen as creepy, and it is on the shoulders of the author to rationalize and find out if their theory is creepy. However, don't let this dismay you from writing a theory pasta, as they can be truly eye opening and terrifying, but just be aware of what you are posting. '''Redundant Lost Episode Pastas- '''Okay, not all Lost Episode pastas are bad, but there are a lot of horrible ones. If your pasta resembles Squidward's Suicide in any sense, don't post it, as it makes your pasta seem like a clone of all of the other Lost Episode pastas in the genre. '''Torture Porn- '''Aka- just torture for the sake of disturbance. A story that is just gore and torture porn is horrible, and without a good story and setting to go along with the gruesomeness, these pastas can never work. For a first pasta, I wouldn't attempt to write one of these. '''Minecraft- '''It takes A LOT of skill to be able to make a good Minecraft pasta. Most Minecraft pastas are very poor, so unless you're feeling lucky, don't write one. '''Legend of Zelda- '''I don't care how successful BEN was, chances are, your pasta is not going to be the next BEN. If anything, it will likely be passed off as just another rip-off or as just another shittypasta. Types of Pasta Genres and Hardness '''Standard Gaming Pasta- '''You buy/download a game, strange things happen, etc. Easy to do bad, but easier to do good. This is the easiest pasta to write and it is the best choice for a first time pasta writer. Good Example- CHEAT AND PLAY. Hardness Level: ''EASY 'Psychopath/Killer- '''Random killer kills people. Incredibly simple, and it is so easy to do. These pastas can range from Amazing to Horrible, but with enough time and effort, these pastas can become great. Good Example- The Home Run Killer. Hardness Level: ''EASY 'Survival- '''An apocalypse or survival scene of some sort where the main protagonist is fighting for survival. These pastas are seldom written, but can make some excellent stories and are also fairly easy to write. Good Example- Nightmare Fuel: Can You Survive?. Hardness Level: ''EASY 'Lost Episode- '''These types of pasta are very commonly written, but are also ruined many times. These types of pastas are so expansive they have their own subgenre of cliches and tropes. These types of pastas normally are about a fan of a TV show stumbling across an episode that wasn't supposed to be aired and creepy things occur. These pastas are harder to write as it isn't easy to separate yourself from some of the larger named lost episode pastas like ''Bart's Dead. However, these pastas are doable. Good Example- The Amazing World of Gumball: The Grieving. Hardness Level: MEDIUM 'Ritual Pastas- '''These pastas are instructions on how to perform, you guessed it, rituals. Although making a decent one is pretty easy, making a creepy one is a lot harder. Mistakes you can make in this creepypasta genre include not bothering to make there a motive to do the ritual, making it too involved, or making it require access to something unobtainable. Good example- Hide and Seek Alonehttp://someordinarygamers.wikia.com/wiki/Hide_and_Seek_Alone Hardness Level: ''MEDIUM 'Gaming Mindfuck- '''This type of story is a variation on the popular Mindfuck category. These types of pastas are pastas that lead you in and then leave you with a twist at the end, making the seemingly real life story into just the premise of a popular video game. These pastas are normally executed pretty well, but are still pretty hard considering they are still mindfucks, albeit just a bit easier because of the gaming premise. Good Example- Purple. Hardness Level: ''MEDIUM 'Apocalypse- '''Not to be confused with the Marvel Supervillain, this genre is self explanatory. It is about an apocalypse taking place, that simple. These are great pastas to write, as you can really stretch your imagination and write your own unique end of days. However, these are pretty hard to execute correctly, and a lot of the time can just come off as unrealistic and cliched. Good Example- Excromation. Hardness Level: ''HARD 'Ghost Haunting- '''This type of pasta is the classic ghost story, except actually creepy. These pastas are harder than most because of the fact that there are so many ways you can go wrong and write an overcliched, uncreepy mess. There are a few good Ghost Haunting pastas, but they are still harder than most. Good Example- Hauntings Don't Exist. Hardness Level: ''HARD 'Mindfuck- 'Sifenchar's specialty, and one of the hardest pastas to write. Actually, I shouldn't say that, they are fairly easy, just incredibly hard to do well. These pastas are either go big or go home, and can make or break a perfectly good pasta. It's best not to take the risk if you are a new writer to write a Mindfuck. Good Example- Power Corrupts. Hardness Level: HARD 'Theorypastas- '''The second hardest pasta to write. These pastas are either amazing, or god awful, no silver lining. Theorypastas are only good when they are actually something creepy, as obvious as that sounds. Many writers attempt these theorypastas and do horribly as the premise of the theory isn't creepy in the slightest. It is all on the shoulders of the author when writing these. Good Example- Ash’s Coma. Hardness Level: ''VERY HARD '''Pokepastas- The hardest type of pasta to write. You see, a few years ago one could make the argument that these were the easiest, but now, with so many redundant, dull, and cliched pokepastas, it's hard to stand out and have new ideas never used before. About every idea has been done and butchered and very few writers are able to pull off a pokepasta. Good Example- Pokemon OBSIDIAN Black. Hardness Level: VERY HARD Okay, those are the guidelines that you should use if you are writing a pasta. If any well respected users (mods, admins, regulars) want to add onto it, they can do it at free will. But for now, I'm out! -Incorrect3Category:HelpCategory:CreepypastaCategory:Creepypastas Category:Awesome